MOSCOW (Sputnik) — At least 29 migrants died from hypothermia trying to cross the Mediterranean in freezing weather, Italian media reported.
According to the Italian Corriere della Sera newspaper, the migrants were part of a group of 105 refugees, and were discovered by Italy’s coast guard Sunday evening.
Several of the migrants had died by the time the inflatable boat was discovered, while others died while being transported to land by the coast guard from Italy’s southern Lampedusa island.
The Mediterranean Sea is one of the main routes for migrants fleeing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East and trying to get into Europe.
According to the United Nations, the number of reported migrant deaths in the Mediterranean has increased by over four times since 2013.
